Bro. William Miller.

matter . I laid Bro . Miller ' s case , last week , before the lodge , who have requested the-Secretary to draw out a petition and send it to Miller for his signature , with a request that it be returned to us for the recommendation of our lodge to the Fund of Benevolence in regular form . So you will see , Sir , that we who constitute the lodge of which Miller was formerly a memberare also alive to his interest—doing for a

, Brother as we would he should do unto us in a similar state of trial . I am Sir and Brother , yours faithfully and fraternally , SAMUEL BAYLEY , P . M . Bournemouth , Oct . 21 , 1861 .

Anent "Personalities."

ANENT "PERSONALITIES . "

10 THE EDITOB OP THE FREEMASONS * MAGAZINE AND MASONIC ItlBBOK . DEAE SIE AND BEOTIIEH . —I have heard an anecdote related of a little Lancashire girl who hacl the misfortune fco squint ; and so tender was she on this defect , that if ever she noticed mau or boy looking at her , she always pointed her finger at him and exclaimed , "He squints . " Tour Sheffield correspondent , "Secretary No . 162 , " seems troubled with a similar weaknessforafter thrusting himself into a

; , controversy in which he bad no argument , but much abuse , to give ; after unnecessarily charging me with ignorance of Masonic matters on which I had never , in public or iu private , expressed an opinion , ancl on which he could not possibly have the means of forming an opinion ; and then wanting to enact the injured innocent dodge , ancl pretend that I had enticed him , as it were , into a lonely cavern , and

wanted to " grind his bones to make me bread , " like the grim giant whose adventures I dare say , both Bro . Webster and _ myself used to listen to in childhood , until we were afraid to go to bed alone , and would almost have been thankful for the companionship of a " private soldier" to have protected us from our imaginary enemy ; after applying to me the courteous expressions which readers

very your may find on reference to his letters , it is too bcal to accuse me of introducing personalities into your pages . _ Bro . Webster complains that I have " unjustifiably published" his name . Suppose I had signed myself as the "W . M . of No . 3000 , " and the name of Peter Picktheirteeth had been appearing over aud over again in the same Magazine as the "WMof No 3000 " wohld I have just cause of

.. . , complaint against Bro . Webster if be chose to address me by both designations ? Wouldn't it be evident to all men that if Peter Picktheirteeth wanted to remain unknown , that he should not have signed himself bv an

unerring signature for being known P I may inform " Secretary of No . 162 , " that I know nothing of him at all , but from the Magazine ; I have never thought it expedient or necessary to make one single eucpiiry about him ; and that so little do I feel hatred ( still less envy ) towards him , that I should not hesitate to visit my lodge , even though I knew he was present . In mounting "the badge of innocence and the

bond of friendship , " I should feel satisfied that if there was enmity , it was not in my heart . But Bro . Webster is too exacting if he thinks that my obligation requires me to allow myself to be held up to the odium of the Craft , ancl the contempt of mankind , and not to be allowed to show the falsehood of the aspersions . Truth I have always understood to be oue of the grand princiles on which is

p Freemasonry founded , and I only wish to be spoken of with truthfulness . I must say , however , that I think no candid reader of my letters , and those of "Secretary No . 162 , " of "J . W . W ., " and of "Paul tho Hermit , 90 ° , " can have much difficulty in ascertaining whether my opponents or myself have shown the most regard to the sublime teachings of the Craft . I have heard several intelligent brethren declare that so

virulent have been the epistles inserted against me , that they were totally unfit for insertion in any imblication , much less one which we regard as the only English organ of our Fraternity . _ I have already stated ' that I shall not alkuy this discussion to become a mere bandying of personalities , and from henceforth I shall not stoop ' to notice the abuse which be called forth b letters

may y my . As , however , the assertion has been " boldly made in your columns , that my contributions are likely to prove detrimental to the sale of the MAGAZIXE , I shall wait for yourself and your subscribers to exjiressyour opinions before ! again trouble you with my letters—my " Cursory Remark ) on Free-

Anent "Personalities."

masonry" —and the communications fco wlii-ii I have affixed my usual signature , are sufficient for yourself and your readers to judge me by . I have no right , I have no wish to intrude on your pages , and I am happy to say that there aro other channels of communication open to mo , should I need an utterance . With Freemasonry I am , and I trust I ever shall be , earnestly in

love ; but I have , like great numbers of others , been woefully disappointed with the manner hi which our noble institution is too often prostituted to the base level of a sort of " freeand-easy . " In Craft Masonry alone I find sufficient for us to aim at , if properly reduced to practice . But at present our pretensions to the rank of a scientific community are simply ridicul . This is not the fault of Freemasonry

gus but in ourselves as a body , hi not reducing our precepts to practice . I have ventured thus to express my convictions , because , should the brethren and yourself corroborate the opinions and sentiments of the correspondents who have so bitterly attacked me—all of them , apparently , belonging to those so-called " higher degrees" —I shall only address to them a farewell letter , so far as your pages are concerned .

My object is to do good ; and if I am to speak at all , it shall be kindly , but firmly . "I pause for a reply . " I remain , Dear Sir and Brother , " That grand bore , " & c . BEOTHEE PETEE . Never-mind-Where , Oct . 21 , 1861 . [ We shall be very happy for Bro . Peter to continue his

letters in advocating what he may feel beneficial for the interests of the order ; but it will be our fault if we allow any further personalities to appear on either side , and we have to apologise to the Craft for not having stopped them at an earlier period of the controversy—the truth being that expressions originally harmless enough have been

unnecessarily distorted into causes of offence which we believe was never intended . Our determination hacl been taken before we received the above letter , ancl hence our reply to CM . in the Notices to Correspondents . — -ED . F . M . M . &¦ M . M . " }

Bro. G. M. Tweddell And Freemasonry In America.

BRO . G . M . TWEDDELL AND FREEMASONRY IN AMERICA .

TO THE EDITOB OP THE FREEMASONS * MAGAZINE AND MASONIC MIBEOB . DEAE SIE AND BEOTHEB , —I have been twice attacked by Bro . George Markham Tweddell for an expression of mine" Masonry in America is , at this time , virtually defunct "and I should not have replied did I not perceive Bro . Tweddell is making Masonic capital out of it . My words above quoted are true , ancl the reasons for using them are the following : —I did not thatin AmericaMasonry

say , , was defunct , but I qualified such an expression by using the word " virtually , " and if Bro . Tweddell will allow Dr . Johnson to be able to define such an English word , he will find it to mean , " in effect , though not materially , " hence my meaning was that Masonry in America is not so efficacious as it had been . How do the facts bear this out ? Is it not notorious that hi the hot hatred which has arisen there all

ties have been forgotten—even those of nature—and blood seems to be the only aim ancl end of both sides ? In such a state of things must not Masonry be " virtually defunct ?" What have Masons done to stem the tide of slaughter , to lessen the evil of brother being arrayed against brother and man against man ? If it was not " virtually defunct" the blessed effects of its peace iiiculcat-ing-cloctriiies would be

more apparent . As to the quotation Bro . Tweddell has lugged iu " neck and shoulders , " to gratify his own antagonism against the higher degrees , that is all " bosh . " The writer , no doubt , well knows the depressed state of Masonic publications in America , and , perhaps , thinks it might- receive a new impetus if he , or Bro . Tweddell , can cook up a sensation

Masonic book , for which I beg to offer the following title : ¦—• " A Masonic Hop-Scotch , or tho Gymnastics of an Alma-Mater Blue-Mason in search of Truth , which resulted in leading him to make assertions upon a subject of which he knew nothing ; and speak understandingly thereon " I am , clear sir and brother , yours sincerely , H . N .